Door latch for mine cars



Nov. 4, 1941. v. wlLLouGHBY DooR LATCH F611 MINEcARs Filed Maron 2o. 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR wir@ ATTORNEY v/////////////Vvv. HH

Nov. 4, 1941. v. wlLLoUGHBY 2,261,601

DOOR LATCH FOR MINE-*CARS Filed March 2o, 1940 2 sheets-shet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITEDjSTATEs PATENT FoFl-lcl:

noon. LATCH Fon MINE CARS Victor Willoughby, Ridgewood, N. J., assignr to American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 20, 1940, Serial No. 324.897 l v (Cl. S-253) f 12 Claims.

This invention relates ingeneral to mine cars and in particular to mine cars of the automatic drop bottom type.

In the majority of drop bottom mine cars the doors and latches have been so arranged that the last or rearmost door of the car must swing to an open position before the remaining doors can open, As a result whenV the car runs over dumping station the coal or other material, dropped through the front or'lading door, drops a considerable distance and is badly broken. These cars also are equipped 'with latch operating mechanism which projects from the side of the car and is frequently bent or broken by striking obstructions in the mines, such as pillars, tunnel walls or fallen rock. It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a mine car of the drop bottom type having automatic latches in which no part of the latches projects beyond the clearance limits of the body alone.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an automatic drop bottom mine car in which a plurality of doors are provided, each held inclosed position by latches wholly independent of the latches on .the other doors.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an automatic drop bottom'mine car in which latches areprovided for the door and which latches have no part thereof projecting beyond the clearance limits of the car body alone.

Fig. '1 is an end elevational view of the mechanism shown in released position by Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view ofthe vertically sliding latch bolt;'

Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the latch mechanism for the rearmost door and with the anism shown in Fig. 9.

. approved type.

Yet another object of the inventionis the provision of an automatic mine car having the doors opening from front to rear of the car and controlled by latches operable by means located beneath the car and between the track rails, These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of .the following description and accompanying drawings, in which: v

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drop bottom car `having the improved latches online 6`5 of Figure 3;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the mechanism in door releasing position;

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it'will be seen that the doors and latch mechanism have been applied to a more or less conventional car having. side sills 2 supported by axles 4 and wheels W. These sills are joined together at the rear4 end of the car by end structure 6 of any In the present instance this structure includes a coupling pin 1, wood bumper block 8 and bumper cap llll connected to an angular form end sill I2. y The forward ends of the side sills are connected together by a similar end sill structure IB which carries a combined spring bumper and draft gear I6, It isv obvious, of course, that spring bumper and draft gears or wood blocks may be used at both ends ,of the car or that other bumper structures can be used.

These side sills and end sills form what may be -termed a traction truck frame to which is conpivoted on a hinge rod 28 extending between the side sills and is formed like the remaining doors as a pan shaped pressing having side flanges 29, front ange 30 and rear ange 32 which is 'inclined upwardly and rearwardly beneath the vaxle h ood or other projecting structure and for support upon the `improved latch mechanism.

later to be described. Each of the doors has a corrugation 34 pressed upwardly therein intermediate the side flangesl This corrugation, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, is of inverted channel cross section and extends longitudinally of the door between the rear and front anges thereof, thus forming in effect a channel reinforcement for the bottom while at the same time providing va longitudinally extending trough running from end to end ofthe car which will permit ythe passage of a tripping ramp R (Fig. 3). The doors are substantially identical with the exception of the middle and rearmost door for larger hinge portions in order that they may be hinged and rotate on the car axle and these doors are also provided with small pressed projections 36.

inthe forward flange thereof, which projections are of suflicient depth and height as to clear a portion of the latch .mechanism now to be described.

The latch mechanisms for the forward and center doors are mounted beneath the axle hoods and upon pivot rod 38 supported at its ends in spaced straps 4,0`locate'd within and welded or otherwise" fastened to the axle housings. Each of these latch mechanisms consists of a pair of latches or hooks H of angle or inverted L forma- A tion pivotally mounted on the rod 38 and with the leg 44 extending above the axle. This leg 44 is .made of suflicient weight as to insure the movement of the enddownwardly into contact with the door flange directly above the axle. The long arm of the angle shaped latch hook is formed with an upwardly and forwardly inclined surface 45 merging into an upwardly and rearwardly inclined door supporting surface 46 and end 54 tied to and braced by a rib 55 upon either side of which are provided pockets 56 adapted to receive the projections formed on the side of the latch hooks when the latch hooks are in door opening position. The latch bolts are also formed on one or more sides with projecting ears 58 adapted tp be engaged by lugs 6U welded or otherwise secured to the hinge portion of the next following or rearward door. These lugs are so positioned that when the door is in open position, as shown in Fig. 6, they will bear against the projecting ears 58 and retain the latch bolt in raised position preventing its dropping down beyond the projections on the latch hooks. If the latch bolt should for any reason drop down after releasing its associated door, it will be lifted again by the lug when the next adjacent door swings to open position.

The latch mechanism for the rear edge of the rearmost. dooris of .slightly modified forni as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 9 and l0. In this form the latch hooks are pivoted on rod 62 carried by the end structure and upon which is mounted for vertically sliding movement a latchbolt B identical to that just described. The latch hooks have the doorengaging surfaces and bolt engaging surfaces identical with those formed on the hooks just described but in order to insure operation of this latch to a door engaging position, it is formed with a projecting finger 65 spacedfup- Wardly slightly above the door supporting surface '46. In this form when the latch is in door released position, as shown in Fig. 9, the weight of the latch hooks tendsto swing them toward the end sill with the projections entered in the pockets of the latch b olt and retaining such bolt in its raised position. When, hwever,-the closing door, as indicated in Fig. 9, swingsupwa'rdly the free edge will strike finger 65 and rotate the latch hooks out of the bolt pocket and bring the surface 46 into engagement with the lower surface of the door, ,thus permitting the latch bolt .is very similar to that just described with the exception that the latch hooks," due totheir counter-weighted ends 44, are always urged Ato- `ward a door supportedposition, which would permit the latch bolts to drop if it were not for the retaining lugs 60 supporting the ears 58. In this form of the mechanismas the door swings toward closed position, as indicated -in Fig. 6, the door edge strikes surface of the latch hooks causing the same to rotate 'on the supported axis until such time as the door is lifted above the hook permitting the counter-weight to urge the hooktoward the door with surface 46 engaged beneath the bottom surface of the door edge. Shortly after the latch hooks have assumed this position the next rearward door will have started moving upward on the closing ramp (not shown) and the lugs will move away froml as indicated by the arrows, Figs. V3 and 6, the

tripping ramp R will'be moving relative to the car in the trough like corrugation formed in the doors and as soon as the latch bolts strike this ramp they will' be lifted upwardly causingthe latch bolt to release the latch hooks and permit alone.

'the door to drop onto the ramp where it will be supported until the ramp terminates permitting the door'to swing downwardly into the dumping station releasing the coal or other material. 'Ihus it will be seen that the doors are supported by independent latches independently operable and that no portion of the latch mechanism projects beyond the clearance limits of the car In other words, there is no part of the latch mechanism projecting into an area where it may be broken by striking any track structure. It will also be seen that the latches can only be operated by a special ramp properly located with respect to the rails upon which the car runs.

The latch mechanisms as shown and described will operate to release the doors from front to rear of the car.l In other words, in one, two, three order, but if it is desired that the doors operate in the three, two, one order,`as do most of the doors on cars as now used, such operation can be obtained by eliminating the lower portion of the latch bolts Aappearing adjacent the axles,

Vin which case the ramp will trip the rearmost -shown and described maybe duplicated transversely ofthe car requiring that all latches transversely of the car must be released before the door. held thereby can be released.

While the invention has been described more or less in detail, it is obvious that various modications and arrangements of parts, other than those shown and described, maybe made and all such modifications and rearrangements of parts are contemplated as will fall within'the scope cf the appended claims which define my invention: 'i

`What is claimed is:

l. In a drop bottom car, a plurality of hinged bottom doors adapted to swing to open position by gravity, and means for holding said doors in closed position comprising an independent latch mechanism for each door and carried by the car structureA adjacent the door edgeremote from the door hinge, said latch mechanisms being located entirely and immediately adjacent the longitudinal center line of the car and wholly above the lowermost horizontal plane through the doors, said doors being so constructed and ar" ranged with respect to the latch mechanisms as to permit operation of said latch mechanisms by means arranged externally of they car.

2. In a' drop bottom car, a pluralityy of hinged bottom doors adapted to swing to open position by gravity, and means for holding said .doors in closed` position comprising independent latch mechanism for each door and carried by the car structure adjacent the door edge remote from the door hinge, each latch mechanism consisting of a pair of spaced pivotally mounted latch hooks engaging the door and a vertically sliding bolt located between and normally preventing pivotal movement of the latch hooks. 3. In a drop bottom car carried on wheels and axles and having a rigid frame joined together mechanisms by means arranged externally of the car.

fi. In a drop bottom car carriedon Wheels and axles and having al rigid framei joined together by end structures and axle housings, a plurality of hinged bottom doors adapted to swingto open position by gravity, and 'means for holding said doors in closed position comprising, independent latch hooks for each door, certain of said hooksV being'swingably mounted within said axle, housings, and verticallyslidable latch bolts carriedby said housings and movable downwardly to a position ,preventing swinging movement of the associated latch hooks.

5. In a drop bottom car carried on wheels and axles'and having a rigidI frame joined together by end structures and axle housings, a plurality vof hinged bottom doors adapted to swing to open position by gravity, and means for holding -said doors in closed position comprising, independent latch hooks swingably mounted on said axle housings, counterweights on said latch hooks constantly urging said hooks toward door engaging position, verticallyslidable latch bolts carried by said housings and movable into and out of a lowermost position preventing swinging movement of the associated latch hooks.

6, In a drop bottom car carried on wheels and axles and having a rigid frame joined together by Vend structures and axle housings, a plurality of hinged bottom doors adapted to swing to open position by gravity, and means for holding said doors in closed position comprising, independent latch hooks swingably mounted on said axle i housings, counterweights' onv said latch hooks `with the projections of--the adjacent bolt to hold l saidboltin raised position Whmmsid adjacent door is in open position. No

7. In a drop bottom car carried on wheels and c axles and havingav rigid frame joined together by end structlres and axle housings, a plurality of hinged bottom doors adapted to swing to open position by gravity, and means for holding said doors in closed position comprising, independent latch hooks swingably mounted on said axle housings, counterweights on said latch hooks constantly urging said hooks toward door engaging position, vertically slidable latch bolts carried by said housings and movable into and out of a lowermost' position preventing swinging movement of the associated latch hooks. andmeans to retain said latch bolts in raised position and out of locking engagement with said latch hooks when said doors are in open position. 8. In a drop bottom car carried on wheels and axles and having a, rigid frame joined together by,I end structures and axle housings, a plurality of hinged bottom doors adapted to swing to open position by gravity, and means for holding said doors in closed position comprising, independent latch hooks swlngably mounted on said axle housings, vertically slidable latch bolts carried by said housings and normally locking said latch hooks in door supporting position and vbeing movable vertically a predetermined amount to permit swinging of said latch hooks to door releasing position, said latch bolts having .their lowermost portion located above a plane through the lower portion of'said doors when closed, and means formed in said door permitting operation of said lat/ch bolts by a ramp positioned between the rails upon which the wheels run.

u9. In a drop bottom car carried on wheels and axles and having a` rigid frame joined together 'by end structures and axle housings, a plurality of hingedl bottom doors adapted toswing to open position by gravity, and means for holding said doors in closed position comprising, independent latch Ahooks swingably mounted on said axle housings, vertically slidable latch bolts carried by said housings and normally locking said latchr hooks in door supporting position and being movablevertically al predetermined amount to permit swinging of said latch hooks to door releasing position, said latch bolts having their lowermost portion located above 'a' plane-through the means formed in said door permitting operation lower portion of sald-doors when closed, and

of said latch bolts by a ramp positioned between the rails upon which the wheels run, said'last depth at least equal to said predetermined amount of movement of said latch bolts.

10. A latch for a drop bottom door on mine or similar cars comprising, a vertically slidable latch bolt, recesses formed in said bolt at either side thereof, spaced apart latch hooks swingably mounted for movement into and out of engagement with the door, and projections formed on said hooks and extending Ainto said recesses when the bolt is raised to permit swinging of -the latch hooks to door releasing position.

u side thereof, spaced apart latch hooks swingably 11. A latch for a drop bottom door on mine or similar cars comprising, a vertically slidable latch boltfrecesses formed in said bolt at either side thereof, spaced apart latch hooks swingably mounted for movement into and out of engagement with the door, and projections formed on said hooks and extending into said recesses when the bolt is raised to permit swinging of the latch hooks to door releasing position, said projections mounted for movement into and out of engagement with the door, and projections formed on said hooks and extending into said recesses when the bolt is raised to permit swinging of the latch hooks to door releasing position, said latch hooks being so formed and arranged as to retain v said lbolt in raised posi-tion when said projections are extended into said recesses and being provided with means engageable by the free edge of the door during closing movement to swine said hooks to door engaging position.

VICTOR wnLoUGHBY. 

